Centaurus A: An active galaxy located
about 11 million light years from Earth in the constellation
Centaurus.
Caption:Chandra's image of this
nearby active galaxy revealed two large arcs of multimillion
degree Celsius gas in the outskirts of the galaxy. A composite
image of the X-ray (blue), the radio (pink and green), and the
optical (orange and yellow) presents a stunning tableau of a
galaxy in turmoil. The arcs of hot, X-ray emitting gas appear to
be part of a projected ring 25,000 light years in diameter. The
size and location of the ring indicate that it may have been
produced in a titanic explosion that occurred in the nucleus of
the galaxy about ten million years ago.
Scale: Images are about 18 x 17 arcmin
Chandra X-ray Observatory HRC Image
CXC operated for
NASA by the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory
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